Ex. 36: Construction Begins

Chapter 36 reveals a few things about talents. These things are gifts from God. He gives the skill and ability to know how to do things. Is it that God needs people to do things for Him? I hardly think that's the point. Then what is the point of these skills and abilities? To be able to function in society to accomplish things and create and contribute? Or to simply ... simply glorify God with it? Could that be the sole reason? I believe it.

God doesn't require more than the offering He requests in verse 6 through Moses that no one is to bring more than is necessary. Is He a God of excess? Not so far. He requires our adequacy. No less, but no more. Amazing here is that the giving of the people had to be restrained. Israel is a nation of overdoing it. Were they overcompensating for their behavior while Moses was on Mount Sinai the first 40 days? The cynic in me says yes, but the word says that this was all a free will offering. All that was required to do the work had been gathered. There was no reason to add. It would have been extraneous. And extra stuff serves no purpose.

Exodus 36:8-38 describes in slightly finer detail the construction of the tabernacle, first described to Moses on the mountain in Exodus 26. We get a little better detail when it comes how stuff fits together, and how it is assembled. There wasn't any deviation. It would have been easy to cut cubits, but everything was made according to specifications. There was no reason to deviate and do what the craftsmen themselves wanted. Everything had a purpose.